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  • INFP Wiring of the Mind.

  • Hey it's Joel Mark Witt from Personality Hacker.

  • As an INFP your mind is fundamentally wired differently from other personalities. You've

  • probably already heard that you are an introvert, intuitive, feeler, perceiver. And a lot of

  • articles and resources focus on the behaviors you show the world as an INFP.

  • Behavior can be helpful - but it isn't the complete picture when figuring out your personality.

  • I want to give you a peek inside your mind to expose the mental wiring that makes you

  • an INFP.Let's get started.

  • Your four letter code INFP gives us insight into how your mind is learning information

  • and making decisions.

  • The primary way your mind makes decisions is a mental process we've nicknamedAuthenticity.”

  • It's technical name is Introverted Feeling. When evaluating any decision - Authenticity

  • asks the questionDoes this feel right?” It's a feeling process concerned with core

  • values, motivation and conviction.

  • Imagine a four passenger car.

  • If one of your mental processes could drive - it would be Authenticity. Using this mental

  • process puts you in flow. You've been using it your whole life. It's how you decide

  • what to do each day. If Authenticity is how you make decisions

  • as an INFP, then the mental process we've nicknamed Exploration is how you learn new

  • information. The technical name for Exploration is Extraverted Intuition. When looking at

  • the world - Exploration asks the questionWhat if?”“What if time is relative?”“What

  • if everyone was forced to hug each other instead of handshakes?”“What if numbers had gender

  • assignment - what gender would you assign to the number eight?”Think about that four

  • passenger car againif Authenticity is in the driver seat - then Exploration is in

  • the front passenger seat. It is your co-pilot mental process and what we call your growth

  • state.

  • Of course - this is a four passenger car so you also have two mental processes in the

  • backseat.

  • Sitting right behind the co-pilot is a mental process we call Memory. Memory is all about

  • precedent, safety, doing the reliable thing. It's about realizing who you are based on

  • your past and your ties to the past.

  • This mental process has the development of about a ten year old child.

  • Finally - behind the driver of Authenticity sits a mental process called Effectiveness.

  • We call this your blind spot or three year old mental process. Effectiveness is a thinking

  • process and asks the question, “What works?” orWhat gets the job done?” without regard

  • to personal feelings.

  • Notice - we haven't talked about INFP behaviors. Instead, I've been talking about the mental

  • wiring of your mind. Behaviors can only give us clues to how your mind is wired. It's

  • far more interesting to dive into WHAT CAUSES our behaviors as people.

  • Here at Personality Hacker - We don't talk about personality types for their own sake.

  • We think understanding your personality is one of the best ways to frame your personal

  • growth journey.And we attract INFPs who are interested in personal growth.Next up - I

  • want to talk about the best way to grow yourself as an INFP.

  • Remember the car model we used to show the mental wiring of your personality?  As an

  • INFP your co-pilot is the mental process called Exploration (it's technical name is Extraverted

  • Intuition).

  • This is what we call your growth position. It's the highest leverage point for growth

  • in your personality. Exploration allows you as an INFP to test

  • your convictions and core values in real-life situations.

  • Are they authentic to you?Do you have unrealistic expectations for the outer world?Is there

  • a piece of awareness you're missing? Sometimes the only way to experience your

  • own myopia is to get out into the world and see for yourself.

  • Exploration helps you get clear on what's true for both yourself and the outside world.

  • Instead of being seen by others as having your 'head in the clouds' you become inspirational.

  • There may even be a radically new way of experiencing a new point of view, leading to an awesome

  • new innovation. Growing your Exploration can be a challenge.

  • Every personality type tends to avoid growing their co-pilot mental process. But here lies

  • the power of understanding your personality.

  • It feels right to focus on something that can expand your experience of the world.

  • It feels like it's in alignment - that to feel more authentic - you'll need to continue

  • expanding the experiences and information you work with.

  • It should feel in alignment - that to continue doing the right things - you'll need to

  • get outside yourself and experience the world for what it is - not what you wish it was.

  • Only then can you discover what really matters to YOU on a core level.

  • As an INFP - Your Exploration process can help you refine what's right for you. Don't

  • ignore this advantage of increasing your awareness of the outside world.

  • Start askingWhat ifquestions. Start pushing buttons all around you just to see

  • what happens.

  • Explore a new part of town. Get up on a Saturday and just start walking

  • with no agenda. Let yourself ramble. Try a new food each time you go out.

  • Join an improv class.

  • Do what it takes to start messing with the environment around you.As an INFP you will

  • bring the best version of yourself to the world when you get outside your comfort zone

  • and explore every aspect of life.

  • Developing Exploration makes you as an INFP grounded and approachable.

  • We'd love for you to keep us up to date about your journey. One of the best places

  • to do that is our Facebook page (Facebook dot com forward slash Personality Hacker).And

  • of course - come over to Personality Hacker dot com and leave a comment - ask a question

  • - or take our personality test. Next I want to talk about the defense strategies

  • your mind uses that steal happiness from you.And of course - what to do about it.The word defensive.

  • You probably think of of an emotional state - or someone getting offended in the moment.

  • She's acting so defensive.” someone might say.

  • But I'm not talking about emotions. I'm using the word positionally. As an INFP you

  • have a specific area of your mind that you defend.

  • As an INFP - That's your Memory process sitting in the backseat of your car. It has

  • the sophistication of a 10-year-old child.That's okay when you use this process to create intimacy

  • or playfulness. The trouble starts when you begin to rely on this 10 year old process

  • to convince yourself of core values you haven't tested in the real world.

  • Since Memory is concerned with precedent and what came before - it can stop you from expanding

  • your worldview and the experiences you take in.

  • Memory (it's technical name is Introverted Sensing) generally shows up when you're

  • afraid to take a risk – a risk you may intuitively know is right for you. For other people, playing

  • it safe is the best choice. But as an INFP you're much better at taking risks.

  • If you let your 10 year old of Memory do your thinking for you, it will encourage you to

  • become anexperiential shut-in,” closed to any new experiences and your convictions

  • will become unrealistic.

  • At worst, INFPs can even become physical shut-ins, so afraid of taking risks they rarely leave

  • the house and instead choose to entertain themselves in a “safeenvironment.

  • You need to explore and take chances to prevent becoming stagnant in your choices and worldview.

  • Don't let your Memory process steal your happiness.The solution is to focus on growing

  • your Exploration process like we've talked about before.

  • I want to hear from you. How are you letting your 10 year old of Memory hijack your happiness?

  • What are the ways you as an INFP are playing it safe?

  • You can leave a comment or take our personality test over at Personality Hacker dot com.

  • Next we'll talk about how you best show and receive love as an INFP.I've got two

  • quick lists for you today. First - how INFPs askdo you love me.” Second - how INFPs

  • show other people love. Here are a few examples of how INFPs ask do

  • you love me? Imagine an INFP asking these questions:

  • Do you think I'm being real with you? Do you trust my motives and intent?

  • Will you support me no matter what - do you have my back?

  • Will you give me space to be me? Here are examples of INFPs sayingYes - I

  • love youImagine an INFP making these statements: I will be patient with your honest expressions

  • I will honor your feelings and identity, even if it's a struggle for both of us.

  • I will hold space for you and give you alone time when you need it

  • I will have your back no matter what the fight is

  • I will trust you have my best interests at heart

  • As an INFP you are probably nodding in agreement. Just remember that other personalities can

  • sometimes see these ways you show love passive or self absorbed.Feel free to share with the

  • people in your life how your mind works. Let them know the ways you show love are authentic

  • for you. If you want to go deeper in your personal

  • development - we have tons of resources, articles and recordings about personal development

  • through the lens of understanding your personality.

  • Come over to Personality Hacker dot com. Next up - let's talk about where to go next

  • in your personal growth as an INFP. I have some action steps for you.

  • We've been talking about YOU - the INFP personality type. I've already detailed

  • the mental wiring of your mind. We've talked about your highest leverage point for growth

  • and shed light on your defensive strategies. And we've outlined how you give and receive

  • love. So what's next for you as an INFP?

  • How will you launch yourself on a personal development journey that resonates with YOU?Understanding

  • that each of us have a unique personal growth path seems obvious. And yet - self help authors

  • and teachers often teach a one size fits all model of growth.

  • At Personality Hacker - It feels right that personal growth will be personalized to you

  • as an INFP. So that's how we've designed our frameworks and models.

  • You now know the mental process to grow yourself as an INFP is Exploration.

  • The enemy of Exploration is the mundane and the rote. Exploration requires freedom to

  • experiment, and too much mundane activity or reliance upon procedure is disheartening

  • to your Exploration process.

  • Set up your conditions to access this mental process as much as possible.  

  • A good way to practice this technique is to seek out new situations you would normally

  • avoid.

  • If there's a question of doing something that feels right to you, but may have hassle

  • or an 'unsafe' element to it, practice taking the risk instead of playing it safe.

  • It's common for INFPs, once they get past the 'scary' part, to sayWas that it?”

  • Most of your growth happens by being adventurous and letting go of the belief that you must

  • live the way others want you to live.

  • If you really want a deep dive into your individual growth plan as an INFP I invite you to check

  • out our INFP Personal Development Starter Kit.You can find more information at Personality

  • Hacker dot com. Let me know what personal growth actions you

  • are taking in your life and what has already worked for you.I'm Joel Mark Witt for Personality

  • Hacker.Talk with you soon.

INFP Wiring of the Mind.

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